Weight Loss for Lolita: Update 1

In a previous post, I outlined my weight loss journey so far since November 2011. Herein, I'd like to give some more details on my effort and changes to my routine.

I stayed active on loseit for around 2 months before realizing that calorie counting was just driving me insane without a lot of results. I'd lost around 5 pounds setting myself up to lose about a pound a week in the first month, and I was terrifically excited. However, I suddenly just... stopped losing weight. While I recognize that plateaus are a hurdle of the weight loss journey, I just realized that calorie counting overall just obsessive and hard while not yielding as many results as I would have liked without a more guided routine behind it. I decided to stop doing the website for a while at least just to give my body time to jump start itself out of the plateau I'd obviously worked myself into. I may eventually go back to the website, though with a less fervent mindset about it.

After stopping loseit, I decided to just try to focus on getting an overall healthier diet rather than doing what I had been. I started to lose weight again which made me happy. I lost about 5 more pounds for a total weight loss of about 20 pounds since I started my journey.

One thing I've finally managed to do is cut out soft drinks from my diet. During my time recording calories on loseit, I saw that I had consumed a whopping 5,744 calories worth of Mountain Dew within the course of two months. I found this simply unacceptable, so I became determined to find better alternatives. The best option I've found for me so far has been drinking tea. I acquired the Teavana Samurai Chai Mate for a delightful pick me up tea with high amounts of caffeine.

Just the smell of this stuff is enough to invigorate me sometimes

I was also inspired to integrate green tea as a daily option after reading Naomi Moriyama's book Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat and reading articles about a potential link of green tea to weight loss. Adding green tea has been a great decision for me so far. I find that it helps to make me feel calmer but more focused after consumption without the crash which typically ensued during my days of energy drink consumption.

Overall, I've really enjoyed integrating tea into my diet over super sugary drinks. At worst, I add a few tea spoons of sugar to a cup of Samurai Chai, still not nearly as calorie filled as what I was doing before. I'd recommend Steepster as a good source for reviews on tea before you pick up a particular blend. You can see what others have said about the tea along with being able to index the teas that you own yourself. 

Finally, my latest step toward a better me has been to join Fitocracy. The first time I saw mention of it was a good while ago while reading a comic on Penny Arcade. I finally broke down and made a profile recently, and I have to say that I've already become more motivated to work out. Something about leveling is triggers me, helping me to feel that exercise is a fun game rather than a soul eating vacuum to avoid (which is the way I've felt my whole life, sadly). The only disadvantage I see so far of exercising is that I've been constantly sore for the past few days and that I've gained a couple of pounds so far while not really eating any more. I'm hoping that weight gain is due to gaining muscle mass since I've experienced similar weight gain in the past followed by weight loss in the past when being more physically active.

So... What spells do I unlock this level? 

Finally, I have a few final comments to make. I can't believe that lolita fashion has caused me to care so much more about my overall physique. I want to lose weight so much more so that I can fit into more and more pieces easier (not to mention fitting into more clothes at departments stores would be nice too). I'm really looking forward to future weight loss right now, too. Though day to day may be a bit bumpy, I'm on an overall downward trend, and that's something to be happy about.

Short Bodyline Wig Review

A while back I made a post about wanting to try a Bodyline wig. Well, I finally got around to ordering WIG035 and wearing it out for a day at a garden party, so I have a few comments to make about it.

I decided that the pink (lpik) colorway would suit my sweet leaning wardrobe best. Below is a picture I took of the wig on a stand:

For comparison purposes, here is the stock photo: 

I feel that the stock photo was pretty accurately represented in the actual product which I received. 

After wearing the wig some, I've noticed a couple of flaws with it. 

1. The inner wig cap has had some slight shedding. While not enough to seriously mess up the wig yet, I'm sort of worried about the long term lifespan of the item.
2. A few of the pink hairs of the wig have also decided to shed. 

However, the wig itself only cost $13 plus shipping. So, for the price I paid for the item especially compared to similar looking products, I feel that I got a pretty decent deal even it it doesn't last forever.

Additionally, I have somewhat of a larger head to the point where most hats don't fully fit my head. While the wig isn't the best of fits, I was able to wear it without too terribly much of my wig cap showing. 

Finally, below is a quick worn pick:

My apologies for being somewhat disheveled here. I do feel that the wig captures how the item will sit on the head during use. 

Outfit For Mall Meet up

Outfit Rundown: 
Cutsew- Handmade
Skirt- Handmade
Bows- Offbrand
Earrings- Handmade
Socks- Sock Dreams
Shoes- Wal-mart


I had a meeting with my local comm today at the mall. We had a fabulous time shopping, enjoying a local Japanese restaurant then finally stopping off at the Tokyo food market. I had initially been nervous about the meeting since I was worried my handmade items would look terrible but I got a number of compliments on them, so some of my worries have been allied. 

30 Day Lolita Challenge, Day 30: A Picture of Myself Today and 3 Good Things

I took long than 30 days to complete the challenge (I started on March 5th to be exact), but I'm sad to see these posts end. I've really enjoyed making them, and I feel like they've helped me to better define what I like as a lolita.

Anyway, the pic from today is very simple since I didn't wear loli today:

Not my most photogenic picture, but I just snapped a quick snapshot of myself. My overall outfit had just been a Rockband tshirt and rose themed skirt from Rue 21. 

What are 3 good things which have happened in the last thirty days? Hmm..

1. Classes ended for the semester. Yay! I'm looking forward to school again in the fall, but having a break will be nice. 
2. I've discovered the joys of drinking tea regularly. I'm particularly loving having a cup of green tea in the morning and evening as the effects are very soothing. 
3. I have two more geckos to take care of now. I'm so happy to finally have them at my apartment with me rather than pawning them off on relatives to take care of in the interim. 

That's it then! Thank you for reading my 30 day lolita challenge posts. I've enjoyed writing them, and I hope that you've enjoyed reading them.

Outfit for Today

Outfit Rundown:
Shirt - Rue 21
Skirt - handmade by Seraphim Feathers
Shoes - Claire's
Bows - random store near my house

I got my cherry skirt in the mail today from Seraphim Feathers, an etsy seller. I was so thrilled
(I've been obsessing over cherry and strawberry prints lately) that I couldn't resist putting together a very casual coordinate to go out with my boyfriend to have a picnic in the park. I'm hoping to coordinate it more formally in the future. ^_^

30 Day Lolita Challenge, Day 29: A Picture of a Lolita I Would Like to Meet in Real Life

Since starting this lolita challenge, I've been trying to become more familiar with some of the bigger name lolitas in the lolita community. One girl whose coordinates I deeply admire is Pixie_late. I feel like every outfit she puts together exudes the utmost care in choices from her choice of dress to small details like jewelry. She also has a fabulously large wardrobe to choose from based on what I've seen in pictures, something that I one day wish for. Below are several pictures of her which I found particularly awe striking.

I know that I'm unlikely to ever meet this girl in person especially considering she's UK based whereas I'm from the US, but I still love the idea of being able to meet such a great lolita in person. 

30 Day Lolita Challenge, Day 28: The Perfect Lolita Location

I took a very long time to think about this particular question. What do I consider to be the perfect lolita place? Would it be Disneyworld which brands itself as the magic kingdom? Would an elegant tea house be more of a suitable location? Or what about the grand balls with skirts billowing in the wind as dancing happened beneath the moon?

I ultimately decided that the best location to me would be none of the above. Above all, I would pride a museum as being a perfection lolita location. Many girls put a lot of effort into their lolita coordinates, so much so that they look like walking works of art (especially with the OTT classic trend going around where girls are literally wearing art). I love the idea of all the frills and lace detailing walking amidst Victorian era art. It seems almost like a tribute to those long dead artists, a nod to the past that it's still relevant.

A Picture of the Garden Area of My Local Musuem